Yes, truly the month of work is a time in my priestly formation when I have learned how to say, "Offer it up!"

Brother William Webster, nLC

I never imagined that my priestly formation would present some
of the obstacles that have been quite common over the
past three weeks, namely snails and mold. I am of
course referring to my work in some strawberry fields during
a period of formation entitled Month of Work, which is
an integral part of a Legionary´s training.

The month
of work in the Novitiate has proven to be one
of the most effective tests of my will as well
as the intensity of my spiritual life. Picking strawberries
does not sound like difficult work, but it is indeed
monotonous. The effort lays a wonderful groundwork for my formation.
Since September of last year, when I began my
second year in the novitiate here in Germany, I have
been working on increasing my love for our Lord, who
is present in each of my neighbors. This is of
course the practical sign, for myself and every Christian, of
love for Christ: that one recognizes Christ in the least
of his neighbors, and treats him with the same love
as if he were Christ Himself. This love has
been put to test by the schedule with which we
live during the month of work, and the long hours
of monotonous work under the beating sun.

This brings me
to another practical level of formation during the month of
work: union with the working world. As a future
priest, one must in a way be "Everyman" for all
Christians, too. All workers experience this tiredness and difficulty
in love towards their neighbor at some point in the
day. Daily agricultural work unites me with those thousands
of men and women who give their lives for the
nourishment of the world, and with those thousands who must
earn their daily bread through such strenuous work. I
have begun to appreciate more deeply the sacrifices of so
many men and women who "break their backs" for the
benefit of others- an essential aspect of Christian love.
On the field I can then unite myself interiorly to
Christ, ever-present in my soul and in the souls of
all Christians, in order to pray for these heroic, often
forgotten, men and women. Yes, truly the month of
work is a time in my priestly formation when I
have learned how to say, "Offer it up!"